Hammersmith Palais de Danse
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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The Hammersmith Palais de Danse, later simply the Hammersmith Palais, was a music venue in London, England.
Located at 242 Shepherd's Bush Road, London W6, opened in 1919 to host the newest jazz bands. It remained a popular dance venue throughout the 1940s and beyond, but played host to more and more live music. It was long been self-described as the "World Famous" Hammersmith Palais, although its international renown is primarily linked to the classic The Clash song "(White Man) in Hammersmith Palais". Bands such as PiL, The Cramps, and Soft Cell (who played their "farewell" there in 1984) made the venue a "must" for many London gig-goers. It hosted The Cure, Hanoi Rocks, David Bowie, The Rolling Stones, and The Sex Pistols.
For a period in the 1930s, the Palais was also used as an ice rink, with the London Lions ice hockey team using it as a base.
Hammersmith Palais became the iconic venue for the emerging Brit-Asian club scene during 1986; Onyx Promotions held all its major daytime events there. The major Brit-Asian bands and DJ's have performed there since 1986, including DCS, Rishi Rich, RDB, Panjabi Hit Squad, and Juggy D.
In more recent times the Palais staged a mix of live music gigs, dance nights and private events. The Palais used to host the popular SchoolDisco club night, which has since moved to the London Forum in Kentish Town.
In addition to this, the Palais was frequently used by the Students' Union at Imperial College School of Medicine as a venue for numerous student nights.
It was later owned by Barclub Ltd, which also controls the Po Na Na chain of themed bars. The company briefly renamed the club Po Na Na Hammersmith in the early 2000s but, in an acknowledgement of the venue's historic reputation, the original Hammersmith Palais name was later reinstated.
On 21 January 2007, the Palais was condemned to be demolished. The West London venue closed in April 2007, with Kasabian, Idlewild and Jamie T among artists playing the last ever gigs there. The final gig was a performance by The Fall on 1 April, 2007, later to be released as the live album Last Night at The Palais. The site will be used for an office and restaurant complex.
